David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son
Parallel translations
- KJV And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
- BSB Then David took up this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,
- NKJV Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,
- NASB Then David sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan,
- NLT Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David composes a lament over Saul and Jonathan. His poetic grief honors both the king and his friend.
Overview
This lament, often called the Song of the Bow, is one of the great elegies of Scripture. That David memorializes even Saul, who hunted him, displays magnanimity and reverence for God's anointed. The poem models how believers may grieve with dignity and grace, honoring what was good even amid loss.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Chr 35:25Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel. Behold, they are written in the lamentations.
- 2 Sam 1:19“Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
- Gen 50:11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
- Jer 9:17–21Yahweh of Armies says, “Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skillful women, that they may come.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 1:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.